Introduction: After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense...

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Economic Overview: The RMI economy is dependent on revenue from the United States under the compact, with over 80 per cent of government revenue being derived directly, or indirectly, from US grants. The Government is the major employer, followed by the commercial and retail sectors. The construction industry is expanding but there is limited domestic production -- fisheries, copra, handicrafts and subsistence agriculture being the most significant ...

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